Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

Apologies for non-attendance were received from Councillors Brown, McGhee, Pritchard and Roberts and from substitute members Councillors Irwin, Jelley and Lee. Councillor Lunn substituted for Councillor Brown.

Any requests to speak on an item on the agenda should be notified to the Chair (c/o the Committee Manager) by 12 noon two working days before the date of the meeting.

None received.

Members are asked to declare any interest and the nature of that interest which they may have in any of the items under consideration at this meeting.

None declared.

To receive communications from the Chair.

The Chair welcomed all those present to the meeting. The Chair noted that the current meeting would be followed by a confirmation hearing and therefore encouraged members to focus their contributions to discussion.

To confirm the minutes of the Panel meeting held on 1 December 2022.

RESOLVED that: the minutes of the Police, Fire and Crime Panel meeting held on 1 December 2022 be approved.

RESOLVED that: the minutes of the Police, Fire and Crime Panel meeting held on 1 December 2022 be approved.

Guide time: 1.15 – 2.00pm

RESOLVED that: the Panel supports the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s proposed Police precept for 2023/24.

The PFCC presented the proposed Police precept and budget, which were based on an increase in the precept of £15 per year for Band D Council Tax. The PFCC highlighted the following points:

·         The proposal reflected the challenge of providing an efficient and effective police force in the context of current financial pressures and the effect of an unfair national funding formula for policing.

·         He was acutely aware that increasing the precept would add to demands on local taxpayers and it was therefore essential that his final decision was well-informed.

·         The Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (OPFCC) had carried out a far-reaching public consultation on the precept, which had received a better response than in the previous year. Over 51 per cent of residents who responded said that they were prepared to pay £15 or more for policing, which was higher than in the previous year.

·         The proposed precept would enable continuing progress without having an undue financial impact on residents.

·         The budget for 2023/24 would support a baseline establishment of 1,500 police officers, which was the highest number ever in Northamptonshire and included a significant number of officers allocated to neighbourhood policing.

·         The budget for 2023/24 provided for further investment in key areas of operational and commissioned activity. It also maintained the commitment that OPFCC staffing costs would be kept below 1 per cent of the policing budget.

·         The proposed precept and budget formed part of a robust Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) that provided for further investment and contingencies over the next three years.

·         The national funding formula had not been updated for 10 years and central government funding for Northamptonshire did not take account of population growth. He would continue to make the case for change and encouraged all local elected representatives to work together on this matter.

·         In the meantime, he considered that the proposed precept for 2023/24 represented the best deal for Northamptonshire, which would maintain investment in police officers, maintain an adequate level of reserves and safeguard policing services in the county.

The Panel considered the proposed Police precept.

The Panel scrutinised how the proposed Police precept and budget supported the PFCC’s priority to provide an efficient and effective police response in Northamptonshire. The PFCC was challenged in particular about whether there was scope to increase investment in police officers or equipment above the level proposed. The PFCC made the following points:

·         He had already made the commitment to have 1,500 officers in Northamptonshire by March 2023 and would sustain this number.

·         There was currently significant economy uncertainty, with an increase in interest rates earlier that day. It was not practical in this context to make a further commitment to have a specific number of police officers at a future date.

·         Northamptonshire Police had made good progress delivering its share of the national uplift in police officers, to the point where it had received additional government funding. However, the force was also likely to have a relatively young workforce until the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 120.

Guide time: 2.00 – 2.45pm

RESOLVED that: the Panel supports the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s proposed Fire precept for 2023/24.

The PFCC presented the proposed Fire precept and budget, which were based on an increase in the precept of £5 per year for Band D Council Tax. The PFCC highlighted the following points:

·         The proposed precept and budget had been produced in challenging economic times, whilst specific issues affecting Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) added further complexity.

·         He was proud of the work done since 2019 to stabilise and strengthen NFRS’s financial position but this was an open-ended process that was also subject to factors outside of his control.

·         Northamptonshire remained the second lowest funded Fire and Rescue authority in England and local taxpayers provided 64 per cent of its funding. A fairer national funding formula would reduce the vulnerability resulting from this situation.

·         The increase in the precept that he now proposed for 2023/24 equated to 10p per week and was significantly less than the rate of inflation but would make a real difference.

·         Around 65 per cent of residents who responded to public consultation had said that they were prepared to pay £5 or more for NFRS and around 65 per cent thought that NFRS was doing a good or excellent job.

·         The proposed 2023/24 budget would be over £7m more than the budget for NFRS originally transferred to the PFCC, which represented a revenue budget increase of over 30 per cent since 2018/19. The MTFP still involved the need to make savings but the proposed precept would produce a balanced budget with an appropriate level of reserves and an integrated capital programme.

·         He considered that the proposed precept was a fair and affordable one that would deliver a balanced budget over the next three years. It represented the best deal for residents and for the future of a vital service.

The Panel considered the proposed Fire precept.

The Panel questioned the PFCC about whether the proposed precept and budget would enable the recruitment of additional firefighters and the acquisition of new equipment in 2023/24, building on action in the current year. The PFCC made the following points:

·         New appliances that had been purchased were being brought into operation. Further attention also needed to be given to making the best use of NFRS buildings, which was an area of work that had been held up by the COVID-19 pandemic.

·         NFRS ultimately needed to ensure that it was as fit for purpose as possible.
The Chief Fire Officer had been tasked with completing an operational review that had been started by his predecessor. This would look at issues including how NFRS used retained firefighters. The financial environment for Fire and Rescue was very tight, which increased the onus on NFRS to use overall resources to best effect.

The Panel sought reassurance about risks to delivering the proposed budget that could result from prospective industrial action by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), including the effect on emergency response to fires in residential properties. The PFCC made the following points:

·         The form and timing of industrial action by the FBU  ...  view the full minutes text for item 121.

Guide time: 2.45 – 3.00pm

RESOLVED that:

a)    The Panel agrees that the final report by the Early Intervention Working Group could be presented to the Panel in June 2023 to allow additional time for it to carry out its work. 

b)    The Panel requests the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner to present a report on the outcomes of the recent IPSOS Mori public consultation exercise on community safety in Northamptonshire to the Panel meeting on 20 April 2023.

The Chair introduced the report setting out the latest version of the Panel’s work programme for 2022/23 and highlighted the following points:

·         There had been some challenges involved in setting up meetings of the Early Intervention Working Group and the aim that it should present its final report to the Panel meeting on 20 April 2023 was now likely to be over-ambitious. The Panel could consider extending the timescale for this work.

·         The briefing session on the development of the PFCC’s proposed precepts for 2023/24 held on 17 January 2023 had been very good and the Chief Finance Officer was thanked for running this.

Councillor McGhee as Chair of the Early Intervention Working Group endorsed the principle of allowing it additional time, given the need to ensure that it produced a well-informed piece of work.

The Panel considered the report. Panel members were invited to consider the PFCC’s earlier offer to present to it the outcomes of the recent IPSOS Mori public consultation exercise on community safety in Northamptonshire.

In response to a point raised during discussion of the PFCC’s proposed Police Precept for 2023/24 the Panel was advised that there had been approximately 1,000 downloads of the Flare app and 31 incidents reported through the app to date.

RESOLVED that:

a)    The Panel agrees that the final report by the Early Intervention Working Group could be presented to the Panel in June 2023 to allow additional time for it to carry out its work.

b)   The Panel requests the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner to present a report on the outcomes of the recent IPSOS Mori public consultation exercise on community safety in Northamptonshire to the Panel meeting on 20 April 2023.

Guide time: 3.00 – 3.05pm

RESOLVED that: the Panel agrees the following meeting dates for 2023/24:

·           15 June 2023

·           7 September 2023

·           30 November 2023

·           6 February 2024

·           20 February 2024 (Reserve)

·           18 April 2024

All meetings to start at 1.00pm. All meetings to take place at local authority venues in Northampton.

The Chair introduced the report setting out proposed Panel meeting dates for 2023/24, highlighting that they represented a straightforward approach based on previous practice.

The Panel considered the report. A member queried that the proposed schedule did not include a Panel meeting in May 2023. The Chair advised that this reflected the need for the two local authorities to appoint councillor members of the Panel at their annual meetings in May.

RESOLVED that: the Panel agrees the following meeting dates for 2023/24:

·         15 June 2023

·         7 September 2023

·         30 November 2023

·         6 February 2024

·         20 February 2024 (Reserve)

·         18 April 2024

All meetings to start at 1.00pm. All meetings to take place at local authority venues in Northampton.

The Chair to advise whether they have agreed to any items of urgent business being admitted to the agenda.

There were no items of urgent business.